Update from our conservation holiday volunteering with jaguars, pumas, ocelots, primates, macaws and other species in the Peru Amazon jungle (www.biosphere-expeditions.org/amazonia)

Hello everyone and welcome to the Amazonia 2016 expedition diary!

My name is Malika (Fettak) and I will be your expedition leader on the first group and then Catherine (Edsell) will take over for group 2.

Malika FettakCatherine Edsell

This year the project will return to where Biosphere Expeditions started off in Peru in 15 years ago: The Piedras Biodiversity Station in Madre de Dios region. The station, which was originally part-financed by us, sadly fell into disrepair in the past, but now has a new owner giving us the chance to come back for more research work.

Piedras Biodiversity Station

It will be a return to beginnings too for Dr. Alan (Lee), the expeditions’ head scientist, who gained his PhD in the Amazon and worked with our expeditions before moving back to his native country South Africa. For me, it will be leading the project for the fourth time and handing over to Catherine after the first week. We will also be working together with local staff I will introduce you to once I have met everyone personally on the ground.

Alan Lee

We have been busy over the last few weeks preparing logistics, expedition kit, research equipment, paperwork, datasheets and the research manual. Innumerable e-mails have been exchanged between continents. Catherine, Alan & I will each bring a share of the equipment, some more equipment boxes stored in Lima will be picked up on the way. Flying in from different directions (UK, South Africa, Germany) we will meet on Wednesday in Puerto Maldonado – keep your fingers crossed that none of us gets stuck on the way! Our schedule on the ground is pretty tight. If things work out as planned we will go shopping on Wednesday afternoon in Puerto, proceed to Piedras Station on Thursday and set up base. I will return to Puerto Maldonado on Saturday for last minute shopping and meet team 1 on Sunday morning.